Autologous Tendon Grafts Used in Upper Limb Surgery.docVIP

Open Journal of Orthopedics, 2013, 3, 74-78 /10.4236/ojo.2013.32014 Published Online June 2013 (/journal/ojo) Autologous Tendon Grafts Used in Upper Limb Surgery Avinash Alva , V. Kumar , R. Sreekumar , Chye Yew Ng , S. C. Talwalkar 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 Department of Orthopaedics, Wrightington Hospital, Wigan, UK; Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Blackpool, UK. Email: avinashalva@ Received March 19 , 2013; revised May 6 , 2013; accepted May 19 , 2013 th th th Copyright ? 2013 Avinash Alva et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Li- cense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT Tendon autografts play an important role in upper limb reconstruction and a working knowledge of tendon autograft options is essential for the surgeon. Although palmaris longus is often the first choice, other options like plantaris, ex- tensor Hallucis longus, flexor carpi radialis are readily available. Advantages of autografts include easy availability, satisfactory biomechanical properties and the human body tends to accept its own tendons than from a donor. This re- view highlights the various options available and their anatomical and surgical considerations in procuring grafts for upper limb reconstructive work. Keywords: Autologous Tendon Graft; Palmaris Longus; Plantaris; Extensor Digitorum Longus; Extensor Hallucis Longus; Flexor Carpi Radialis; Hamstrings 1. Introduction cular supply is from the anterior ulnar recurrent artery and it is innervated by the median nerve with root values of C7 and 8. It serves as an anchor fo